Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

A soldier fighting aliens gets to relive the same day over and over again, the day restarting every time he dies.

Director:

Doug Liman

Writers:

Christopher McQuarrie (screenplay by), Jez Butterworth (screenplay by)

Stars:

Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton

11 wins & 37 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Cruise	...	Cage
Emily Blunt	...	Rita
Brendan Gleeson	...	General Brigham
Bill Paxton	...	Master Sergeant Farell
Jonas Armstrong	...	Skinner
Tony Way	...	Kimmel
Kick Gurry	...	Griff
Franz Drameh	...	Ford
Dragomir Mrsic	...	Kuntz
Charlotte Riley	...	Nance
Masayoshi Haneda	...	Takeda
Terence Maynard	...	Cruel Sergeant
Noah Taylor	...	Dr. Carter
Lara Pulver	...	Karen Lord
Madeleine Mantock	...	Julie

Storyline

An alien race has hit the Earth in an unrelenting assault, unbeatable by any military unit in the world. Major William Cage (Cruise) is an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously dropped into what amounts to a suicide mission. Killed within minutes, Cage now finds himself inexplicably thrown into a time loop-forcing him to live out the same brutal combat over and over, fighting and dying again...and again. But with each battle, Cage becomes able to engage the adversaries with increasing skill, alongside Special Forces warrior Rita Vrataski (Blunt). And, as Cage and Vrataski take the fight to the aliens, each repeated encounter gets them one step closer to defeating the enemy!

---

Plot Keywords:

time loop | alien | dying repeatedly | combat | end of the world | 

---

Taglines:

Live, Die, Repeat

---

Genres:

Action | Sci-Fi

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, language and brief suggestive material

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 June 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

We Mortals Are

Filming Locations:

Leavesden Studios, Leavesden, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$178,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$28,760,246, 8 June 2014, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$100,206,256

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$369,206,256

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Village Roadshow Pictures, RatPac-Dune Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Datasat Dolby Digital Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Emily Blunt thought it was fun to work with Tom Cruise because it was such a challenging shoot, and the exo-suits were arduous to wear every day.

---

Goofs

The Mimics trap Cage to a German dam ostensibly to get their time-control power back by bleeding Cage to death. However, death by blood loss would be no different than any other violent ways that Cage died before (explosion, cut into pieces, etc.) since one dies after losing about half of one's blood, which means that Cage would still have the power after death by blood loss. The Mimics would have had to give Cage a blood transfusion instead.

---

Quotes

Rita Vrataski: Have I got something on my face soldier?

---

Crazy Credits

There are no opening credits, the title doesn't appear until the closing credits.

---

Connections

References Full Metal Jacket (1987)

---

Soundtracks

Railroad Track
Written by Willy Moon and Curtis Lundy
Performed by Willy Moon
Courtesy of Universal-Island Records Ltd
Under license from Universal Music Operations Ltd

User Reviews

This movie doesn't think you're an idiot.

When I saw that Doug Liman was directing and McQuarrie penning, I was interested. I liked Liman's first Bourne film over Greengrass-directed nauseating shaky-cam sequels. McQuarrie is a wonderful screenwriter, and these two seemed like a perfect pair.

I got what I hoped: a movie that doesn't treat me like a 10-year old. "Edge of tomorrow" is smart, entertaining, exciting and fun. It's an original movie as well, not a sequel or a remake (although I hear it might be inspired by a novel or graphic novel).

Tom Cruise - who plays a slightly different character than usually - is good, he always brings his best. He cares about his projects and demands to do as much stunts as possible. His passion can be seen here too and he is again a joy to watch, but this isn't a movie for Cruise to carry. Liman and McQuarrie carry this movie with smart pacing, transitions and that certain magic good filmmakers seem to be able to harness at will.

Emily Blunt isn't a useless sidekick, but a strong and likable character. Not annoyingly strong on the surface like some feminist ball-busting fantasy, but a real character and deserves every minute of her screen time. Bill Paxton was fun to see as a hard-ass sergeant, and Brendan Gleeson was good as well - even though his screen time is limited. All the main actors work well together, if a scene is shared.

The movie flows in an interesting way and it likes to surprise you. I'm not talking about forced twists, I'm talking about that special situation where you don't know what happens next. I've missed that feeling. I didn't have to pretend to care about the movie, I was interested in every minute of it. This happens rarely. And when it ends, you're satisfied. No setting up sequels, no ambiguous crap, just a solid, fitting ending.

Unlike Cruise's last sci-fi film "Oblivion", this is definitely an action movie. At first glance it may look like a generic sci-fi action film - and granted, sometimes (suits, aliens) it does - but there's enough personality of its own. Action looks good and the camera doesn't shake around senselessly. Also, the action never goes into that overblown mode where your senses get tired and you just don't care anymore. Well done.

"Edge of tomorrow" is a thoroughly entertaining film. It's "just" a summer movie, but it's a smart, fun and exciting summer movie. You don't have to make excuses for its shortcomings to enjoy it. It's quality filmmaking and certainly a positive surprise.

9/10, will buy on blu-ray. I recommend this to everyone. Avoid as much spoilers as you can.